Key Movies Of My Life: Funny Farm (1988)

Have you ever dreamed of giving it all up and moving away to a simpler life? Sure you have, we have all flirted with the idea of leaving it all behind at one time or another. Today’s movie is just about that, moving away from the city life and starting over in an idyllic country setting unless you happen to be Chevy Chase in this film that is.

Todays Key Movie:

Chevy Chase stars as Andy Farmer, a big city news reporter who decides to move himself and his wife Elisabeth (Madolyn Smith) to a farm town called Rosebud in the middle of nowhere. It isn’t long before they realize that the town of Rosebud is anything but idyllic and the house they moved into proves to be a challenge at best. With insane Mailmen, garden graves and insane neighbors, the Farmers begin to think that they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Why this movie?

Chevy Chase has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid and this film is one that I have loved since the first time I saw it. It is a film about change and how, with a little effort, any change can be worthwhile, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first.

The Farmers find this out the hard way when, at first, they dont feel they belong in the small town of Redbud. It is only when they decide to leave that they realize that they have fallen in love with each other, the tiny town and all of the problems that come with it all.

How did this translate to real life?

My wife and I have moved many times in our years together so, as I get older, this is a film that really resonates with me more and more. We have been in some interesting places, some better than others, some we never want to visit again. In the nearly two decades together, we have found that, no matter how problematic our surroundings have been, we only needed each other for things to make sense. It is a life lesson that many fail to realize when things get difficult, and sometimes we still don’t always listen.

Okay, you like this film, but is it really a ‘good film’?

To me this is one of Chevy Chase’s finest films. This is one that is a little bit of a departure for Chase as it is not vulgar or edgy, just fun wholesome humor, much like that of the town the characters have moved to. It is a film that really anyone in the family can enjoy and one that I have found just gets better with time.

Filled with quirky characters, fun moments and truly hilarious situations, this is one that I highly recommend to anyone.

OK, where do I get this movie?

You can get this one pretty much anywhere these days but I found a good listing for this and another Chase classic Spies Like Us in a two pack blu ray for just at $20 here. They are both fun films and I recommend them both.

I hope you enjoy this film as much as I do. Thank you for reading!

Late To The Game 08/09/2018

Thank you for reading today. I hope you enjoyed the review. If you would like to read more reviews I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and also a complete review of Star Trek Discovery. We also have a fun Retro TV Review series in which we are currently reviewing the entire Star Trek The Next Generation Series, episode by episode.

As always, please feel free to comment below and share your experiences with these movies as well. If you just happened by, tell me what you think! Don’t Forget To Follow me if you like the blog!

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